Combined testing and working fixture



Dec. A1 9, 1944. s.4 G. JoHANssoN 2,365,273

COMBINED TESTING AND WORKING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 25, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y 3 F1 c.

/NvEN rok $.62 JOHA NSSON v Y A fon/ver Dec- 19, 1944- s. G. JoHANssoN 2,365,273

COMBINED TESTING AND WORKING FIXTURE l Filed Sept. 25, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. a

/NVEN TOI? 5.6. JOHANSSON A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 19, 1944 COMBINED TESTING AND WORKING FIXTURE Sven G. Johansson, Cranford, N. J., assigner to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 25, 1943, Serial No. 503,824

4 Claims. (Cl. 171-327) This invention relates to a combined testing and working xture, and more particularly to a fixture for holding a quartz crystal in two different alternative manners while being electrically tested and while being mechanically modiiied.

A quartz crystalv or crystal, tout court, in the parlance of the high frequency electrical arts is a small slab or slice of crystalline quartz, usually having one or more metallic coatings on each of its two broad faces and with one or more metal wires butt welded or soldered to these coatn ings at right angles to the broad faces to serve both as mechanical supports and as electrical connections. Certain electrical properties of such a crystal are directly related to the dimensions of the crystalline slab itself. Hence in the manufacture of crystals, alter a crystal as described has been assembled, it is often necesm sary to apply a high frequency alternating poten tial across the coatings on the two sides to meas ure an electrical property of the crystal, and then diminish mechanically one oi' the crystal dimensions, preferably usually by grinding clown one of the edges ci the slalavto bring the manifested value of the ypropr-.mty in question to a precise predetermined, value.

An object or" the present invention is to pron vide a simple, reliable and easily operable device or fixture in which acrystal can he held in either of two alternative manners, in one of which a testing potential may he applied thereto,v and in the other of which the crystal is safely and mechanically held to be subjected to a grind-1 lng or honing operation.

With the alcove and other objects in view, the invention may he embodied in a nature lfor holding a crystal and comprising movable electrically conductive means to engage the terminal. wires of the crystal for electrically testing the crystal, movable mechanical means to engage the coated surface or the crystal to hold the crystal securely 'lor grinding or honing, and actuating means movable to actuaba the said conductive means and the said mechanical means alternatively.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parte in the several figures and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view or a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a iront elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 oi Fig. 1;

lll

ill

Fig. 4 is a partial View similar to Fig. 1 with parts in another position;

Fig. 5 is a partial view similar to Fig. 2 with parts in another position;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line i-G of Fig. 4; and y Fig. 7 is a detached plan View of the crystal illustrated in Fig. 1.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a flat slab-like hase i9 of metal on which is secured a transverse upright support El of insulating material formed on the forward half of its upper face with an opstanding ilange l2 having a central cross slot i3. Blocks i4 and l5 of insulating material are secured on the front lace of the flange l2, spaced apart to be flush with the sidesof the slot i3. Elongated supports l@ and l'l of sheet metal are secured against the opposing spaced laces of the blocks lf3 and l5 respectively and have their upcer edge faces a little above and parallel to the upper faces of the lolccits. Spring contact members it and l5 of metal and termed es shown are mounted respectively on 'the blocks ill and to have their downvturned '.ree ends 2@ and El eiastically pressed down the top edge aces of the supports itl and il respectively. Plungers 22 and .respectively, of insulating nierterial and housed vertically in suitable cores in the support il, are alcuttahie against the under sides of the spring contacts and it to lift the contact points 2t and 2l up and away from the supportsv lo and ll. These plungers are actualole by means of levers and 25 respectively mounted in a shaft i@ journalled in the support ll., The levers and are held" in rigid relation to each other icy the shaft and also icy a common actuating handle l compression spring it interposed between, the handle ll' and the oase 'il serves to hold 'the handle up and thus leave the piangere 22 and is depressed.

the rear el the top `lace of the support li is pair on? blocks tu and tl ci ius lating material,

pivctalcle acont vertical pins 33 in the support li, .The mutually opposed ends of these blocks are spaced apart a distance somewhat smaller than the Width Ot the slot t3. Two memhere, 3d and 3c respectively, are secured on the mutually opposed faces ci the olcclzsc and ill. The members 34 and 35 are formed of elastic sheet metal, as shown, to extend forward and to present, between the contact points 2li and 2l, a pair of vertical, parallel gripping jaws 36 and 3l, each loifurcate at its outer end as best shown in Fig. 3. Between the rear ends of the members inoperative position until 'the handleA 34 and 33 there lies loosely a horizontal plunger 38 of generally cylindrical shape, but pointed at the forward end merely to clear the converging forward parts of the members 34 and 33, and

having a broad circumferential groove Il near its rear end. This plunger 38 normally rests at its forward end on the top edges of a narrow slot 23 in the support ii, while its rear end is held, at the groove 39, between the correspondingly shaped and inturned ends 40 and 4| of the members 34 and 35. An upright lever 42 on the shaft 26 enters a somewhat larger bore in the body of the plunger 38.

The article for use in the manipulation Yof which this particular device is constructed, is shown detached and in plan in Fig. 7. It comprises a small, thin, rectangular wafer, sheet or slice 43 of crystalline quartz, coated on each side with metal and having a pair of combination support and connector wires 44, 44 and 45, 45 secured to the coatings and extending out at right angles from the coatedfaces.

In operation, the levers 24 and 25 are actuated by pressing the handle 2l down until the plungers 22 and 23 have lifted the contact points 20 and 2i from the supports i6 and il, but the plunger 38, owing to the breadth of the groove 39, has not yet begun to move the ends 40 and 4i of the members 34 and 35. The jaws 35 and 3l are then open asin Figs. l and 2, while there is alsoroomto slide the wires 4t and 45 between the contacts 20 and 2i above them and the supports i6 and il and into the bifurcate ends of the jaws. If the handle be then released, the contacts 20 and 2i close down on the wires and the state of affairs is that shown in Figs. l and 2. A testing current or potential may then be applied to the crystal via the members i8 and If it then be found that the vertical length of the quartz slice needs to be re duced, the handle is fully depressed,

The parts are so proportioned and related, that, as the handle is pressed down from its extreme upward position. to its extreme downward position, the following occur in the stated manner. First the contacts 23 and 2| are lifted from the wires 44 and 45, leaving the crystal suspended by the wires on the supports i6 and il, and disconnecting the crystal entirely from the testing circuit, so that even if this circuit be closed elsewhere, no current can pass to or through the crystal. At this stage also, the crystal may be removed and replaced by another. Next, while the contacts 2i! and 2i are idly raised still further, the plunger 38 begins to press the ends 40 and 4i of the members 34 and 35 backward, thus causing the pivotable blocks 30 and 3| to pivot backward and press the jaws 3l and -31 against the quartz slice from opposite sides. A diamond hone or other grinding tool maythen be used, while the handle 21 is held depressed, to take off a portion ofthe top edge of the quartz. This stage is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Releasing the handle, the spring 23 returns the apparatus to the testing condition or stage of Figs. l and 2. Thus with the handle 21 up, the crystal may be tested; with the handle half way down, the crystal may be inserted or removed; and, with the handle in its lowest position, the crystal may be adjusted.

What is claimed is:

l. A testing and adjusting iixture for quarts crystals and comprising movable contact means actuable to make contact with the terminal wires of a crystal, movable jaw means actuable to be pressed against opposite faces of the quartz slice of the crystal to grip and hold the crystal firmly, and common means to actuate the two said means alternatively.

2. A testing and adjusting fixture for quartz crystals and comprising a pair of supporting members to receive the terminal wires of a crystal thereon and thereby support the crystal, a pair of electrical contact members to press against theV wires on the supporting members and thereby make contact therewith, a pair of jaw members actuable to press the quartz slice of the crystal therebetween to thereby hold the crystal firmly, and common means movable to lift the contact members from the wires and press the Jaws against the quartz slice.

3. A testing and adjusting fixture for quartz crystals and comprising a pair of supporting members to receive the terminal wires of a crystal thereon and thereby support the crystal, a pair oi' electrical contact members to press against the ,wires on the supporting members and thereby make contact therewith, a pair of jaw members actuable to press the quartz slice of the crystal therebetween to thereby hold the crystal firmly, and common means movable to one position to lift the contact members from the wires and to another position and press the jaws against the quartz slice ,while still holding the contact members lifted from the wires.

4. A testing and adjusting ilxture for crystals and comprising a pair of supporting members to i receive the terminal wires of a crystal thereon and thereby support the crystal, a pair of electrical spring contact members to press against the wires on the supporting members and thereby make I contact therewith, a. pair of levers to lift the con- SVEN G. JOHANSSON. 

